Controversial coach Mike Babcock is on his redemption arc as Blue Jackets head coach - "I want to be better"

Mike Babcock’s hiring by the Columbus Blue Jackets caused controversy in the NHL. Skeptics questioned Babcock's former coaching approach as to whether he had actually changed or if it would return.

In a recent interview with Jody Shelley, Mike Babcock spoke about his transformed approach toward his coaching style. The NHL coach shared his experience working in college as a coach with a bunch of young people who changed his mindset. Babcock said

“I learned a lot about communication working in college, just because you're around younger people every day and they don't have as many people, they need you. The message sent and the message received are often different. You come into the coach's office, and as a coach, you think you have this real good meeting, and you find out in a hurry, it wasn't very good. So had to learn about dealing with every player, 23 players, 23 different ways what works best for them.”

He added:

“What's the communication plan for each guy so they can get what they need, and you can help them get what they need so they can be better.”

The renowned NHL coach has adopted a more collaborative and communicative coaching technique in place of a dictatorial approach. Babcock also talked about how spending time with his family, including his son, daughters, and wife, has helped him improve during the past three and a half years.

Babcock is dedicated to improving himself as a coach and as a person, as he told Shelley during the interview,

“I feel recharged for sure. And my opportunity coaching in college was real special. It helped me a lot. I want to be better. I want to be a better husband. I want to be a better dad. I hope one day I get to be a grandpa to be good at that. You want to be better at what you're doing. We're all trying to get better.”

Why did the Toronto Maple Leafs fire Mike Babcock?

When Mike Babcock was in charge of the Detroit Red Wings and guided them to a Stanley Cup triumph in 2008, his coaching career attained its highest point of achievement. However, Babcock was sacked from his position as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019 for his harsh coaching style.

After being fired, Mike Babcock stepped back to consider his coaching strategies and the effects they had on players both on and off the ice. His efforts in bringing about an extraordinary change in coaching style were evident from his words from the recent interview. Mike Babcock said,

"I'm hoping to take the best of the past, with the new and become a different, better coach than I've been. I know what it takes to be successful, but there's a lot of room for growth."